BLIZZARD power outage. What would you do to keep a 40g tank heated & water movement?
- Thread starter 40B Knasty
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Beautiful picture! I actually miss it lol. But I also remember how dangerous it can be. Hope you all are safe up thereSo far so good in my area. But the wind is picking up big time. Hope the power stays on. But just in case have some blankets and heat packed on stand by. This is what is looks like out my front window.
OP
OP
40B Knasty
Valuable Member
We survived the storm! No power outages. There was some in the central MA. Definitely a solid 12-14" of snow here. Gusts of winds hit 70mph at times. Thanks for all the ideas. Definitely going to do some of these great ideas for winter prep for next year.
don_chuwish
Smells something fishy
Glad you made it unscathed! Heaters kill battery backups fast. For any extended period you really will require a generator. Insulating the tank walls and covering the top will help a LOT, but for only so long. Stirring by hand once in a while is enough for agitation.
Reefersutherland_
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Please don't ever go to harbor freight for anything ever. That company needs to go away!
Ravan
Community Member
Just remember to buy a top of the line inverter as if you don't they will fry electronics with long periods of use! We found out the hard way when I was a deputy with our in car computers. We had a set brand and model we had to use and run to our auto parts store if our went out after hours.
They will send spikes of voltage which fry the things connected. Only took us 5 computers to figure it out!
The hand and foot warmer packs would work if you placed them in a metal bowl and floated them in that as it would allow them to get the Air they need to work!
They will send spikes of voltage which fry the things connected. Only took us 5 computers to figure it out!
The hand and foot warmer packs would work if you placed them in a metal bowl and floated them in that as it would allow them to get the Air they need to work!
Ravan
Community Member
That is true for a ton of there stuff! I do buy latex gloves and zip ties from there. I also have a wooden tool box I use for gunsmithing tools. I wouldn't buy a generator from them that's for sure!
Skynyrd Fish
Valuable Member
Take a mason jar add some ballast and a candle. It will
You need a true sinewave inverter (some of the cheaper ones are labeled true sinewave, but are not so you need to be careful) to power up more sensitive electronics. Resistive loads like basic heaters and pumps don't care, but electronics or things with higher powered switching power supplies and inductive loads do not behave well.
Velcro
2500 Club Member
It's a great store if you use the customer reviews for whatever product you're looking at. A lot of the stuff sold in the major hardware stores is just as cheaply built for twice as much.
If you are considering Lowes and Home Depot hardware stores, then yes that is true. Much like Walmart and other large chains that have a ton of buying power, they force companies to build to a price point that is frequently below the manufacturer's build cost. So they end up producing sub-par products that the manufacturer won't warranty beyond the minimum required by law because they have to cut corners and use low quality raw stock.
But hey, you are saving a few bucks every time you need to buy a new one to replace the original, so that all adds up to extra savings, right? [/sarcasm]
Velcro
2500 Club Member
You're a chipper fella.
Sometimes it makes sense to buy something extremely cheap that won't last forever if there's a 95% chance you'll never need it again. I have a harbor freight dual action polisher that I have done probably 50 hours of auto paint correction with. It was $50ish dollars. The porter cable is near $200. I read the reviews and watched videos before deciding if I should spend the $150 more. The cheap tool made sense for me
Next time I need to make the decision I'll be sure to shoot you a PM to see how I should spend my money!
Blue Spot Octopus
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Natural gas wall heaters they do not need electricity, solve the heat issue.
Not saying that certain tasks aren't suitable for cheap tools, especiatlly for one-off tasks. I've got a few Harbor Freight purchases kicking around.
No need to get all all spun up. I wasn't insulting your decision to go with low cost options. I was pointing out the fact that the big box retailers aren't a suitable place to go for purchasing anything other than basic hand tools. Reputable manufacturers have started putting out stuff that is well below their standards to matain enough of a market share. Some will have lifetime warrantees on a drill that you buy at a smaller hardware store or a supply house that caters to contractors, but won't stand behind the same drill (different model, but same appearance and similar specs) from Lowes/Home Depot/Walmart if it is a day out of warranty.
No need to get all all spun up. I wasn't insulting your decision to go with low cost options. I was pointing out the fact that the big box retailers aren't a suitable place to go for purchasing anything other than basic hand tools. Reputable manufacturers have started putting out stuff that is well below their standards to matain enough of a market share. Some will have lifetime warrantees on a drill that you buy at a smaller hardware store or a supply house that caters to contractors, but won't stand behind the same drill (different model, but same appearance and similar specs) from Lowes/Home Depot/Walmart if it is a day out of warranty.
zachtos
Active Member
I've been using an inverter, battery and relay as an automatic throw over generator for 5+ years. The relay kicks on the inverter if the outlet loses power and re-energives the surge strip, then kicks back to AC automatically.
Finatik
FINatik about my Tanks !
That is also my dilemma: "How to power my heaters in a weather emergency" (or any emergency for that matter) that causes an extended power outage. I've got a 120 gallon tank, with two 300 watt heaters. In an ice storm or blizzard, the tank is going to eventually get too cold, and corals and fish won't be able to survive. I have an Ecotech battery backup for my MP40s, but of course, I can't use that for the heaters.
So if I have a 12V outlet in my car, are you guys saying that I can simply run an extention chord from the car into my apartment and power those two heaters ? (Unfortunately, a generator is not an option for me, as I live in an apartment).
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